Description

FSSTATUSMD identifies the detailed food security status of the household over the past 30 days. Households are classified as high food secure, marginal food security, low food security, and very low food security.

Food security is based on the number of affirmative answers to each of the food security questions and the presence of children in the household.

Households are classified as high food secure if they report no food insecure conditions than three food insecure conditions in the past 30 days. Households with incomes greater than 185% of the poverty line are asked two screening questions about food insecurity and if they report no instances of food insecurity are also categorized as high food secure. Households classified with marginal food security are those reporting one or two food insecure conditions.

Households without children are classified as low food security if they report between 3-5 food insecure conditions and as very low food insecure if they report 6 or more food insecure conditions. Households with children are classified as low food insecure if they report 3-7 food insecure conditions, and very low food insecure if they report 8 or more food insecure conditions in the past 30 days.

FSSTATUSMD is available since 2005, when households were first asked the full 18-item food security questionnaire in the last 30-days. Detailed food security in the past year is available since 1998 in FSSTATUSD.

This variable is part of the Food Security Supplement.

Comparability

This variable is comparable across all years.

In 1998, 1999, and 2007, food security data are not available for all rotation groups. The food security weight should be used instead of the supplement weight in these years.

Universe

Flags

Unharmonized Variables